01 July 2017

News Story: China firmly opposes U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the United States selling arms to Taiwan and urged the country to stop any weapons deal with Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Friday.

Lu told a daily press briefing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the United States selling weapons to Taiwan violates international law, the basic norms of international relations, and the principles of the three joint communiques between the two countries, harming China's sovereignty and security interests.

He said that the Chinese government and people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose to outside interference.

Media reported the U.S. State Department Thursday approved an arms sale to Taiwan worth about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars, the first such deal with Taiwan since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.

Lu said China strongly urged the United States to honor its commitments and stop any weapons deal with Taiwan so as to avoid further damage to relations between China and the United States.